


You've got to hide your love away

by Maccasandlemons



Category: The Beatles (Band)
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Female Paul McCartney, Genderswap, Jealous John Lennon, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Sexism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-09-01 18:29:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20262580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maccasandlemons/pseuds/Maccasandlemons
Summary: When a journalist is about to publish a compromising picture of Brian, exposing his sexuality Pauline Mccartney has an idea that will turn the whole band's life upside down. Brian gets a girlfriend, Pauline is really convincing and John begins to realize that he might be slightly jealous of their manager. Oh, and let's not forget Ringo's eyes, which may be turning George a little less staright than he though. Please someone give George Martin a drink.





	1. Alcohol and bad news

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first beatles fic. I fell in love with the band a few months ago so I may be still a bit green to some of their story, so the accuracy might not be great. I wanted Paul to be a girl for this story, so the character will still be the same but her name is Jane Pauline Mccartney. English is not my native language, and I don't have a beta so any corrections on my mistakes are welcome. I hope you enjoy the story and don't forget to comment and/or leave kudos if you do!

Pauline opened the door of their hotel room feeling the effects of the alcohol running through her body as she stumbled inside. She made out that the others wouldn’t take long to return, well, except George, who had been cornered by a pretty persistent blond (not that the boy had been complaining). Pauline closed the door and suddenly jumped as her eyes landed on the armchair, which was supposed to be empty. Brian looked like shit, even in the dim room. He was slumped with his eyes looking blankly at the wall and a bottle of whiskey forgotten on the floor.   
“Brian?” Pauline tentatively asked, so low she doubted the man had heard her. But before she could say anything else, a pair of blue eyes snapped off the floor and landed on her.  
The young girl gasped, she had seen quite a lot of emotions plastered in their manager’s face, but never in the two years they had been together had she seen him scared, until that moment. His drunken eyes were filled with unfamiliar fear and she could swear that his cheeks had traces of tears.   
“Brian what happened?” If he was scared it meant that something was really wrong. Perhaps they were about to lose everything? what if the world had grown tired of them? what if their careers were over?  
Paulie’s panic attack was cut off by a soft grunting sound; Brian pointed at something on the floor and she realized that it was a newspaper. Getting closer she realized that it hadn’t been published yet, it had the date of the next day. At first there wasn’t much that caught her attention, but then she saw it. And her stomach twisted as she read the small words on the front page. Paulie gulped and turned her eyes on their manager.   
“I’m fucked” And for the second time in less than two minutes the girl jumped, it was the first time she saw Brian curse, though she didn’t blame him.  
“Brian I…” She tried to find something to say, but the words were stuck in her now dry throat.  
“I tried to persuade her to not to do it, but who could resist to publish that” The words came out slowly and slurred through his pumped lips as he kept staring at an invisible point on the wall.   
Paulie tried to think, but the only thing she managed to do was to pick up the half empty bottle from the floor and take a sip at the warmed alcohol. ‘Brian Epstein a homosexual’ read the article on her soft hands. As hard as she tried to say something to fix it, she couldn’t; the picture of her friend and another man kissing was enough to destroy his life.   
“I’m so sorry” It was an stupid thing to say, but it was too much to take in at once.  
“It’s over, I’ll try not to involve you into all of this mess” And she couldn’t believe that even when his entire life was at risk, his main concern was still them. Paulie’s blood suddenly began to boil with the thought of what he was going to be through, all because of a photo. Brian had risked everything for them, he had always been there, even when everyone else was certain they wouldn’t make it. I wasn’t fair, they owed him who they had become.  
Taking another swig at the bottle, she threw the paper angrily to the floor and got closer to Brian, sitting on the other armchair. The manager furrowed his brows and stared at her with confusion, she looked pissed off, and Pauline Mccartney rarely got angry, but when she did it was almost as bad as John.  
“No” Big dark eyes stared at his face as he tried to sober up, at least a little.  
“No?” He repeated, not really getting what she was trying to tell him.  
“We’re going to fix this” She said, determination filling every word.  
“How?” And that seemed to be a problem. The journalist probably had no intention of negotiating with them, and the picture was rather compromising. But there had to be a way to divert the attention from it… Paulie’s face lit up.  
“I got it!” She yelled, after a few seconds of silence. Brian’s mouth hanged open and he tried to focus harder on the girl.  
“We just have to divert the attention from the article, something so big that no one will care about that!” Paulie was really excited as a tiny spark of hope began to lighter the tension in the room. Brian processed slowly her idea.  
“Paulie what could possibly be bigger than that?” The bassist thought again, there had to be something that…  
“You could get a girlfriend” She blurted. Brian stared at her.  
“What?” He must have heard wrong, he was way too drunk to…  
“A girlfriend Brian, you can’t be Homosexual if you have a bird” Paulie was smiling, Brian tried really hard to understand the idea.  
“But Paulie I AM a homosexual” He remarked, though he believed the band knew it, including her.  
“I Know Brian” Paulie sighed, impatient for him to get it.  
“But they don’t, If you fake that you are going out with a girl, then they will think that the picture was probably a misunderstanding at a bar or something like that, people like happy endings, you taught us that” And suddenly it seemed easy, they could actually get out of the mess and avoid the horrible outcome. For a second Brian could see the light at the end of the tunnel, until he realized something.  
“Paulie no girl is going to want to go through it, and I’m not going to lie” That seemed to be the biggest problem, the consequences of hiding something like that could mean ending up in jail, and they would never do that to someone. No girl in her rightful mind would agree to it.   
“It’s allright, you can get another manager, I’ll talk to George and…” Brian stumbled as he got up and began to walk away, head slumped forward and arms hanging at both his sides. Paulie wanted to scream, they had been so close, if only there was someone willing to help them. A girl willing to risk anything for them, Paulie’s train of thought stopped then. She jumped from the couch and ran to Brian.  
“Wait!” She cried. The manager turned to her ready to say something again, but she grabbed his arm and took a deep breath.  
“I’ll do it”.


	2. Girlfriends and Phone calls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the comments and the kudos! They really mean a lot. Well, here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy it...

“I’ll do it”   
The words hung in the air for a few seconds. Brian stared at the girl trying to get his sloppy brain to process an answer, she couldn’t possibly imply that. Pauline realized that Brian was stuck in his own mind, she, herself hadn’t thought much about what she had just done.  
Her hand was still grabbing his arm, wrinkling the sleeve of his white shirt. Her breathing came out fast as her heart hammered all through her body. She tried to steady herself and took a shaky breath.  
“I’ll be your girlfriend” And suddenly the weigh of what she was doing fell on Pauline. The news would spread, people would talk and assumptions would be made, making her look like the girl in the boys band who got her way with the wealthy manager. Her life would change for real, and perhaps not for better. But, what was the alternative? Lose Brian? The man who had taken them where they were? Their friend? No, the brunette was certain of one thing, she would do anything to keep the band and all of its members safe, even if that meant risking her public image. She could handle that, pretend to be with Brian for a while, just until everything passed.  
“You can’t do that” Brian said, sobering himself as much as he could.  
“Please Brian…” Pauline began to beg.  
“No, I can´t let you do that Pauline, do you know what the press would do if they found out? I’m not risking…”Brian’s tone had changed, but she wasn’t giving up so easily.  
“You don’t have to risk anything! I know what the press is like! But I don’t care!” Pauline cried, her other hand grabbing onto his other arm.  
“Brian, you have done everything for us, I know I don’t have to, but you’re our friend, you’re part of us and we’re meant to help each other. Please let me help you, we can’t lose you…” Pauline stared at the manager with her huge doe eyes beginning to get wet. Brian’s own eyes had filled with tears again which were threatening to spill any second.   
“I…” Brian seemed lost once more, his head was filled with concern and a warm mixture of Pauline’s speech and Whisky. They stood in silence, staring at each other.   
It was strange, Brian and Pauline hadn’t talk much through the years. Brian had always kept the long chatters and conversations and even arguments for John; George had always kept his distance, but he did that with most people and Ringo was just… well, he got on well with everyone. But Pauline and Brian had remained strangers for a long time; he had always been impressed for the way she handled things on her own, how she managed the press, the public and even John when he misbehaved. And now she was offering herself to save his life.   
“Please Brian” And everyone knew that those dark eyes made it impossible for anyone to say no, and so Brian sighed, both defeated and grateful.  
“Fine” Brian managed to say through the knot on his throat, earning a smile from her.  
“It’ll work out just fine, we just need to make a few calls” She said as she turned around to get the phone, But a hand grabbed her arm before she could move.  
“Pauline, this will only be temporary, I swear I’ll fix it as soon as possible” He said, Pauline shook her dark locks.  
“It’s fine Eppy, I know” And once again Brian was filled with the calming warmth her smile gave him.  
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Pauline cleared her throat and let go of Brian. The manager stumbled a little before he took a deep breath.  
“I think we need to settle a few things before we do this” Brian had realized that if they were actually going to do it, he had to make sure that she was as safe as much as he could.   
“All right” Pauline walked back to the armchair and flopped down on it. Brian followed her and also sat down.  
“We’re going to tell the press that we’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks…” Pauline rolled her eyes and cut him before he could end the sentence.  
“Brian they’re going to want something big, I know you want to protect me, but we have to make sure this actually works. We’ve been dating for at least two months, we fell in love from the beginning but you didn’t want the press to think that I was with you because I wanted to stay in the band.” Pauline stopped to catch her breath as Brian stared in shock. Was she really making it up as she was speaking?   
“I can call my father to warn him, I have to, the press might ask him” Pauline suddenly realized. Jim had had too many surprises and she doubted he would forgive her for not telling her that.  
“My mother is going to kill me” Brian suddenly blurted, dropping his throbbing head on his hands. Pauline curiously stared at him since he had never spoken of his family.  
“I guess you’ll have to tell me about her” She stated, she would have to tell her dad about him too, Mike would probably ask him a million questions.   
“She will love you, she would love any woman I brought home as my girlfriend” A smile crept over Pauline’s lips as Brian emerged from his hands with a tired expression.  
“It’s going to be fine Brian, it will be over before we even realize it, they will forget and we’ll go on as always” And she wondered if the words were meant more for her than to comfort the man.  
“You really don’t have to do this” His voice was really soft and his eyes looked even bigger. Pauline thought that perhaps in any other situation she would have found him attractive. She shook her head.  
“I know, but I really want to help you. We should make those calls before it’s too late Brian” She patted his leg and they both stood up and began with their plan.  
It took them two hours and a lot of arguing, but in the end they managed to take the news to the most important papers, after all, the Beatles wasn´t a word anyone dared to ignore.   
Pauline rubbed her eyes as a yawn escaped through her lips, Brian’s lids were trying really hard not to fall down as her vision blurred more and more each second.  
“I can’t actually believe they let us” He said really low.  
“Told ya It’ll work” Pauline found it really hard to speak, the emotional rollercoaster she had been through had worn her out even more than their previous concert.   
Brian had sat on the couch without even realizing it, legs not being able to stand for a minute longer. Pauline walked towards him, but stopped as she stumbled with a ball of paper. Realizing what it was she searched in the room for a box of matches and threw the paper to the bin.  
“This needs to disappear” She said as she lit the match and began to watch the paper burn, Brian only managed to hum.  
“Thank you Pauline, really” The girl went to sit next to him on the sofa and tentatively wrapped her arms around him. He was warm and smelled of whiskey and expensive cologne, Pauline let her head lean into his soft chest and murmured.  
“It’s fine Eppy, It’ll all be fine” And after that her eyes could no longer stay open. Her breathing slowed down and they both fell asleep, holding onto each other.  
John and Ringo opened the door half an hour later and were welcomed by the image of their manager sleeping with a lap full of dark haired bassist. Ringo smiled as John was shocked for a few seconds.  
“I thought Pauline didn’t get along with Eppy” He started, the eldest beatle shrugged, he was way too drunk to think.  
“Perhaps they were tired” He said as he walked to his room. John glanced at them once more and followed Ringo. He will surely understand everything better in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He really is going to get a surprise in the morning. I will try to post the next chapter as soon as I can, but be certain that I will write at least a chapter each week. Thank you once more for reading.


	3. Coffee and Couples

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your comment FleshDelirium (ShakespearesSister), and the rest of you for the kudos and for reading, it means the world to any author to see people reading and actually liking the story. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter...

Pauline woke up with an arm circling her body and a quite weird pillow. Her eyes took some time longer than usual to focus and the first thing she noticed was that she wasn’t in her room. The sun came through the huge window of the living room, meaning that it was late, Brian would definitely kill her. Then she realized that she had actually slept fully clothed and on someone’s lap. It smelled like something had been burnt.  
As she began to incorporate the person under her stirred and grunted and then made a small wailing sound. Suddenly she was facing a pair of big baby blue eyes struggling to focus.  
“Brian?” She asked, and as the words left her mouth, the memories of the previous night came rushing into her brain.  
“Morning guys!” A cheerful voice interrupted, Ringo appeared in front of them with his everlasting smile.  
“John is still asleep and George has just called to say he’s on his way here.” Pauline stared at him still trying to process everything, Brian was in an almost identical situation adding an extremely severe headache.  
“Thought you might want some coffee and ordered some a few minutes ago, it’s still warm” He said pointing at the table in front of them. And Pauline swore she could have kissed him right there.  
“Thank you Ringo” Brian managed to say as he grabbed the cup and took a long sip at the warm liquid.  
“You’re incredible, thank you” Pauline gave a smile at her bandmate and took the other cup.  
“What happened last night? You left the party really early” The drummer said staring at the other two.  
“I was really tired, I actually fell asleep talking to Brian” She quickly said. Well, it wasn’t a lie, they didn’t need to know what had happened, not in that exact moment at least.  
“You both looked exhausted” Ringo agreed. And then another voice joined them from one of the rooms.  
“Has anyone seen my jacket?” John looked like he had gone through a tornado, hair sticking in all directions and clothes absolutely wrinkled. Pauline would have mocked him if she hadn’t been certain that her image would be as bad as his.  
“Hanged on my doorknob, don’t know how it ended up there” Ringo answered. John walked to the other room and grabbed the item of clothing, then he turned to the living room and stared for a second at the two people still sitting on the couch.  
“What the hell did you two do last night?” Brian was about to answer, but Pauline was faster.  
“Fell asleep talking John, surprised to see you can even stand after what you drank yesterday” And maybe the reason why Pauline left the party had something to do with the fact that John was drinking like there was no tomorrow.  
“Well, you weren’t repressing yourself either, besides princess, some of us know how to handle our drinks” Pauline’s expression changed the moment John used the knickname.  
“I told you not to call me that!” She yelled, a soft hand dropped on her arm.  
“John stop it” Brian said, staring at the younger man and keeping his soft hand on Paulie’s arm. John stared at the small gesture and huffed, wondering when Brian had become so overprotective of her.   
“She started it” He said, immediately realizing how childish he sounded. Pauline rolled her eyes and Brian shook his head.  
“You’re right, because I’m the one who always messes up with the press and gets straight to the front page with some new scandal!” Pauline regretted having said that the minute the words left her mouth, John really had had a hard time with the whole ‘bigger than Jesus’ stuff and she knew how hard the press was. But last night John had been a rightful bastard and she was tired of acting as if it didn’t matter what he did when was drunk.   
John actually remembered just fragments from what he had said, but he hadn’t noticed how the sentence “Maybe we should start looking for a suitable husband” Had affected her. They tried to treat her as one of them, but sometimes John couldn’t help it. It rarely happened, but he had punched a couple of assholes who had tried too hard to take her home. Those times she would yell at him that she could handle herself and as he hated to admit it, he knew she could. But it was even more rarely for some of the boys to joke about her as a bird, to mock her just because she was a woman. On those occasions she just stopped talking to them and left or she would say something that would make them think twice about speaking like that to her again, because if there was something Paul was extremely good at was knowing exactly what to say to get what she wanted, after all, she always handled the press.  
“Ye can’t bloody handle a joke” John muttered as he turned around an went back to his room, to take a shower. Pauline realized then that John probably couldn’t remember the previous night and that perhaps she should just forget it.  
A silence filled the room for a few minutes. Ringo sat down on a chair and grabbed his book from the table, Brian finished his coffee and Pauline suddenly felt the warmth of his hand leave her body, she was thinking about apologizing to John when suddenly the door flew open. The youngest beatle struggled to catch his breath as he ran into the room, newspaper in one hand.   
“George what happened?” Ringo asked, face filled with concern for his friend. But the guitarist turned to Brian and then Paulie, his brown eyes fixed on her. He lifted his hand and held the paper’s front page in front of them. She swallowed hard as Brian’s color left his face.  
“Can somebody please explain me this?”   
Pauline accidentally poured the rest of her coffee over the rug, Brian swallowed audibly and Ringo took a look at the front page of the daily news, expression changing gradually as he realized who was the picture of.  
George’s eyes showed no mercy as they kept staring expectantly at the newly discovered couple. His long fingers grabbed the paper steadily, even though his breathing was still too fast. He had tried to think of a good reason to why his best friend since childhood had kept that information from him and he still hadn’t figured out an answer.   
Pauline’s mind raced as she tried to figure out what to do. Her first instinct had been to tell the truth, but then she remembered that what was at risk was too much for anyone to know, besides, if they didn’t get involved, they couldn’t actually get involved in the mess. She could keep them safe, even if it broke her heart to lie to them. She had to deal with it on her own.  
Suddenly she found herself reaching out for Brian’s hand and taking it into her own; George watched the movement carefully as Ringo’s jaw dropped, almost comically. Brian turned his head to her and for a moment confusion flashed through his face. Pauline had to make sure he got what she was trying to do and pleaded with her eyes at him to follow her lead.   
The answer came back in the form of a soft squeeze from the hand she had just taken. A shaky breath escaped her lips. At least she wasn’t alone, and perhaps one day George would forgive her for what she had done. They would have to understand her.  
“I’m sorry for not telling you sooner” She muttered, trying her best puppy eyes, she hadn’t seen the young boy that mad since Hamburg, while Ringo still tried to assimilate the situation.  
“Why the hell didn’t you tell us sooner?! “ Pauline winced at the anger lashing from the usually quiet guitarist. Ringo moved closer to him and landed a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down; and then, for the second time that day a voice joined from behind the sofa.   
John walked into the living room, fully dressed and wet hair, finishing buttoning his shirt. He stared at them for a second and noticed the paper that now hanged to one of George’s sides, but he seemed completely unaware of the tension that had built up in the room in the las minutes.  
“Reading the papers George? You really are growing old. what the hell is this about?” He said, and Pauline really wanted the earth to swallow her as John reached out to grab the paper. She wanted to flee the room as he put on his glasses.   
But when she saw the blank expression on his always smirking face, Pauline wished she could have found an easier way to help Brian, because if the manager’s sexuality didn’t break the band, perhaps the lies to hide it would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun... How will John react? What do you think? I'm going to try and post the next chapter ASAP, so you will know soon... Thanks again for reading!


	4. Arguments and changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Once more thank you so much for your comments and your patience. I've been unable to post this sooner and I'm really reallly sorry, but I promise I'll keep posting, even if sometimes it takes longer. Enjoy!

John didn’t move for a full minute. He just stared at the paper with an expression impossible to read. Pauline would prefer a million times for him to yell, to throw the paper at the floor… just to do something! Brian also watched him knowing that he was staring at a ticking bomb.  
After what it seemed to be an eternity, John’s eyes moved and landed on Brian, who opened his mouth trying to find something to say. Pauline tried to swallow through the knot on her throat as her sweaty hands carefully landed the empty coffee cup on the table, John looked at her, and she wished that he would have kept staring at Brian, because his eyes were filled with betrayal, they judged her as they had never done, they almost showed a hurt expression.  
“Guess you made it to the front page” Her own words came back and kicked were it hurt the most. And the worst thing of all was that the only thing she wanted to say, she couldn’t.  
“John this is more complicated than what you think” The manager seemed to have found his voice and caught the girl’s distress. But John was way too angry and confused to give up like that.  
“Oh, is it Eppy? What could be so complicated that you had to keep this from us for FOUR bloody months?! Huh? Did you actually think about what the press is going to say?! Funny how I’M the one who always messes up, right Pauline?” And even George who had started the whole thing could see that John was getting a bit carried away. Ringo and Brian were about to interfere when suddenly Pauline slowly stood up and opened her mouth, making clear that she had had enough.  
“Don’t you dare to compare your stupid slips in interviews and conferences with MY private life John. I know what this is going to put me through, thank you very much for reminding me once more that I can’t make a single decision without everyone questioning it!” Pauline could feel her heartbeat drumming on her ears and the heat invading her face, but she wasn’t done yet.  
“And I’m sorry for not telling you sooner, but this hasn’t been easy!” Brian had once more found her hand and squeezed it, trying to thank her. His eyes were filled with regret for putting her through it.  
“For the both of us” She added, her tone slightly calmer than before. Brian had just been left speechless as so had John, George had begun to felt slightly regretful of the way he had reacted, not having thought about the way she would feel.  
Pauline stared at her bandmates wishing for them to say something, her stomach twisting and grabbing Brian’s hand a bit too tight.  
“If I can say something, you actually make a really cute couple” and Ringo seemed to be actually smiling. Pauline let out a shaky breath accompanied by a nervous laugh and suddenly a pair of arms were wrapped around her, squeezing her a little.  
Ringo smiled warmly at Pauline, who was currently wrapping her arms around the youngest beatle, both of them apologizing to each other, saying sorry like a mantra.  
Meanwhile, Brian turned his focus on John, who was too quiet. His hair was still damp and a couple of drops had began to run down his neck, threatening to wet the collar of his shirt.  
“John” Brian called, the boy snapped from his own mind, realizing that he was being watched.  
“John, Pauline was right, we know we should have told you sooner but…” But he didn’t manage to finish.  
“But you wanted to protect her, I get it Eppy, no need to explain” And for a second John sounded mature, the childish and sassy boy sounded old.  
“Thank you for understanding John” Brian said, still shocked to see him so calmed suddenly when only a minute ago he had been completely enraged.  
Pauline had never been so grateful in her life for having her friends around her, she knew John would react like that, but it would have been awful if George had stayed mad at her for a second longer. The skinny arms surrounding her were everything she needed to know that things would turn out all right in the end.  
“I’m really sorry” She stated once more, hiding her face in the young boy’s shirt.  
“It’s fine Paulie, I was just shocked, I felt like you didn’t trust me” And George sounded really hurt, he told her absolutely everything, they had been like brother and sister for a long time.  
“I trust you, I really do… It’s just… It’s been complicated George” And the guitarist just nodded in agreement, letting go of her. A small smile of reassurance appeared on his thin lips.  
And suddenly Pauline’s eyes fell on John, who was staring at her quietly, almost as if he was trying to figure out how he should react now. They looked at each other as the room stayed silent.  
They had done that before, Pauline and John fit like a puzzle, they worked together in perfect harmony, they seemed to read each other’s thoughts almost all the time. But sometimes they clashed, and when they did, the tension between them was so thick that it became harder to breathe, they fought each other almost as passionately as they compose. John’s temper and Pauline’s rage was something that none of the people in that room wanted to see. John was usually the one who started, he loved teasing her, and sometimes he crossed a line; Pauline on the other hand tried to not to play John’s games, but there was something about him that made her fall every time.   
Then the hardest part would be the apologies; which they skipped. One of them would eventually grow tired of being mad and just started a normal conversation; as if nothing had ever happened. It wasn’t healthy, it wasn’t good, but it was the way they worked, and until then that was okay by them.  
“At least now I get why you slept together yesterday, hope you kept your night activities to your bed Macca” John said; and Paulie could feel relief wash over her as a smile crept over her lips.  
“John!” Brian said, his cheeks having turned as red as Paulie’s. A chuckle left John’s lips as Ringo shook his head, hiding an amused grin.  
“What?” John’s eyes landed on Paulie, they both smiled. For a moment everything seemed to be just like before, but as George and Ringo laughed side by side and Paulie and Eppy blush, John couldn’t help but to wonder how long until their ground began to shake again, and a creeping familiar fear of change began to invade his body. Paulie stared at him, maybe she was feeling it too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so in the next chapter I'm going to begin with Starrison and maybe we get to see John getting a bit jealous. I hope you liked it, please comment if you did or if there's something you would like to see in the future chapters. Thank you, I promise I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can!


	5. Questions and Feelings part one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So I was actually going to post a full chapter but since it was getting too long I decided to split it in two. I really hope you enjoy it and thank you all for the support, you are wonderful!

George stared at the floor as he tried to get his heartbeat and breathing to slow down. His mind was racing and panic filled his body, this couldn’t actually be happening to him, not now, nor ever. He managed to open the faucet and splash some cold water into his face. His hands shook as he grabbed the sides of the cold sink and he rose his eyes, meeting with his reflection on the mirror. He looked like a scare child, his skin paler than usual and his hair was a mess, dripping water all over his shirt.   
The guitarist managed to take a deep breath. He needed a drink, no, he needed several drinks and a shag, a pretty girl who would surely change his mind; because there was no way that he had just developed certain feelings towards a certain blue eyed, short and kind drummer.  
FIVE HOURS EARLIER  
For the first time in all their press conferences Brian was actually sitting with them, not hiding behind checking everything was going fine as he normally did. Pauline sat next to him and seemed to be unable to stop moving her leg and fidgeting in her seat until it actually started.   
The journalists had began to sat down and were getting ready to ask away the hundreds of questions they certainly had. Brian could barely keep himself from running to the door and leave the building, wanting nothing more than to get over with it as soon as possible and praying that they wouldn’t focus on the girl beside him, he didn’t want her to go through this.  
Suddenly a warm hand fell on his shoulder and he looked up to see a familiar face getting closer to his ear.  
“I talked to a couple of them and they promised to jump in and ask about the new album if things get ugly” George Martin almost whispered to him. Brian looked at the older man as grateful as he could ever be.  
“Thank you George” Martin smiled and squeezed his shoulder.  
“Don’t thank me, I know how this people can get when they want to get an exclusive, just give them a few answers and tell Pauline to be calm, you’ll get through this” And after another squeeze, he disappeared off the stage.  
Pauline had watched the scene and stared at Brian with fear in her eyes, trying to figure out what were they talking about. Brian couldn’t help but to lay his hand on her shaking tight and looking as calm as he could.  
“It’s going to be okay” He said, remembering that the last time it was her who said those words.  
Pauline’s leg managed to stop moving as she nodded her head. It was going to be a long evening, and it hadn’t even started.  
It began exactly after another five minute wait. The first questions were, as always, of courtesy. A couple of journalists asked about the new album, their future tours, their group dynamics… most of those were answered by John and a few by George and Ringo, who tried to give as many details as possible, delaying the inevitable.  
It was the Guardian, a man with a powerful voice and sharp features, who jumped in first.   
“Pauline, is it true that you started a relationship with your manager, Brian Epstein four months ago?” Well, at least it was easy.  
“Yes, it is” Pauline spoke for the first time.  
“Did the rest of your bandmates knew about said relationship for all that time?” Pauline swallowed as she turned her eyes on George, who was starting to open his mouth to answer.  
“No they didn’t” She cut in before anyone could speak, Brian’s hand was still on her tight and she had started with the moving leg again.  
“Why not?” And this time it was a blonde woman with too much makeup and too little skirt.   
“Because I asked her not to” and Pauline slipped her hand under the table and grabbed Brian’s, which was as sweaty as hers.  
“We wanted to be sure before telling anyone, this wasn’t something to take lightly” She tried to regain her confidence with the press and stared at the woman in the eyes. ‘Never let them know how you really feel, this is all for show’ She kept repeating in her head, like a mantra.  
“And how did they feel about you going out with your manager?” Bastard, too short and with a mouth too big. Pauline could feel a shiver running down her spine, of course they would ask her about the interests behind their relationship, of course they believed that because she was a she, getting in the manager’s bed was the only way to keep her place in the band.  
“They make a really cute couple” And suddenly all the eyes fell on the drummer who was innocently smiling from his seat; god bless that man. Pauline could have sworn that she saw him wink at her, she had to buy hi at least a new set of drumsticks, or a new house.  
“Brian, does this have anything to do with the rumours about you being homosexual?” And just when it seemed that things were calmer, the redhead from the corner had managed to silence the entire room. Brian’s colour left his face as he suddenly forgot how to breathe. Pauline knew that she was going to be exposed, but she had completely forgotten why they had done all of that in the first place. Her blood began to boil as she stared at the fear in Brian’s eyes, he did not deserve that, and he would be okay as long as she could speak.  
“I believe for you to be quite rude in order to ask that in front of his girlfriend, we haven’t had it exactly easy thanks to people like you, so we would very much appreciate if you could ask us about our music and not about our personal lives. Yes we are together, yes I love him very much and therefore, no, I don’t actually think that he could possibly be homosexual, you know?” As soon as she was finished, the journalist was as red as a tomato and mumbled a quick apology. Once again, Pauline had handled it like no one could; even John looked shocked from her answer.   
Brian also stared at her and he could just cry, nobody had ever stood up for him, he had spent his entire life hiding, behind apologies, fake excuses and running away from everything he wanted, but for once someone had helped him keep his place, she had saved him from leaving what he loved doing, what had become his entire life for the last years. She had kept her promise.  
“You heard her, any of you lads wanna know about music? Or are you going to keep on snooping on our privacy?” And just like that John took back the spotlight off them and began once more answering questions.  
The after party was too crowded and the only thing Pauline wanted to do was to go back to their hotel, get in her bed and stay there for the rest of the night. George and Ringo seemed to be enjoying themselves, talking to everyone with big smiles on their faces, at least someone was having a good time.  
Brian walked towards her and handed her a glass of something that looked like really expensive alcohol.   
“I cannot thank you enough for what you are doing, you saved me once again back there” Brian said lowly as he took a sip of his own glass.  
“I’m your girlfriend, got to make sure nobody hurts you” She answered with a smile, and Brian was about to reply when a man with sleek black hair and almost perfect features joined them, giving Brian an unwelcomed pat on his back.  
“Brian! Glad to see you finally found yourself a girl, man, you got yourself a really pretty one” Brian’s expression flashed from mildly annoyed to angry, and Pauline realized that the man stared at her too intensely.  
“Keep your hands off her Mike” Brian practically growled and the girl besides him was in shock, watching as the manager’s hands flew around her shoulders protectively.  
“Calm down Brian, I just thought birds were not your thing, but I must admit you have some good taste” Pauline just wanted to run as fast as she could far away from the man who kept smiling like a shark.  
“Piss off Michael, you did enough back then. She’s not one of those girls so you can leave us and go away” Brian’s eyes practically flamed with anger at the man who seemed as surprise as Pauline. The manager never lost his temper, and when he did it was usually with John. But this man had seemed to get the worst side of him, and the bassist realized what kind of person must Mike be to get Brian like that.  
“All right, all right. Calm down Bri, I was just joking, but if you change your mind sweetheart just tell me” Pauline felt the hand on her shoulder squeeze even tighter, Brian looked like an angry Spanish bull about to attack. She herself wanted to punch the man straight on his perfect teeth, but that would get them in trouble, and that was the last thing they needed. So instead she decided to make a different call.   
With a quick movement she turned around and wrapped her arms around Brian’s neck, who had no time to move before a pair of soft lips crashing down on his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who has been watching the whole scene... someone is about to get extremely jealous, the Geourge and Ringo scene will be the first part of the next chapter. Hope you liked it and leave a comment if you did!


	6. Questions and Feelings pt 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you once again for your comments, they really do make my day and help me to keep on writting. Here's the second part, enjoy!

John had been looking for Pauline for a while, but it was turning out to be a lot more difficult than he had planned. He was about to yell her name when a person in front of him stopped him on his tracks.  
“Oh my god, you’re John Lennon!” A smiling blonde woman stared at him with hazel eyes.  
John realized that the girl was really cute, but he didn’t have time to waste.   
“Yes, yes but I’m looking for…”The girl was actually blushing and shifting her weigh from one foot to the other, showing just how nervous she was to be in front of him.  
“I saw Brian Epstein on the back of that room, to the left” She suddenly said, and John was quite shocked that the girl had just guessed who he was looking for.  
“Thank you… Uh…” He watched the bird’s smile grow wider as she moved to the side.  
“Cynthia Powell, but all my friends call me Cyn” She quickly added.  
“Well, thank you Cyn, see you later” And John almost felt bad for the poor lass who he would most likely never see again, after all, there were too many to be with them all, and he needed to find his best friend and make sure she was all right.  
John moved again, walking towards the place the girl had just pointed out and a smile appeared on his face as he spotted two familiar faces. Pauline and Brian were talking with a guy who seemed to be enjoying himself a little bit too much. He stared at the stranger and noticed the way he was looking at his bandmate, he was almost devouring her with his eyes and suddenly John wanted nothing but to run at him and punch him on his grinning face. He began to walk towards them when it happened.   
Pauline had moved so quickly that John barely had time to brace himself for what was going to happen. Brian looked as surprised as him and so did the asshole with them; the manager broke his shock first, wrapping his arms around her waist and moving his lips against hers. John felt like he was chocking and found himself unable to breathe, he had seen Pauline kiss blokes, he had seen her go out of her room with a half dressed guy hiding behind her, but all those times didn’t matter. They were just strangers, people that passed by and left really soon, they weren’t Brian. John suddenly felt the weight of his realization down on him; Pauline was in love, she had just said so a couple of hours earlier, she had found someone and this time it was for real.   
John’s tore his eyes away from them, unable to watch them any longer. She would soon begin to spend more time with Brian, she would want to be left alone, he was going to take her out and he would no longer be able to spend so much time with her. As much as they tried to keep things like they were before things were going to change.   
John felt then a rush of blood run across his body. What the hell was Brian thinking of? Did he even care for her? Hadn’t he thought about the rest of them? Why the hell did John care so much? If they wanted to ruin everything it wasn’t his fault, Pauline could very much kiss Brian to death if she wanted to. John huffed and turned around, trying to forget everything. Brian wasn’t even Pauline’s type, they probably wouldn’t last.  
John needed to forget, he needed a drink, he needed someone… then he spotted a blonde bird laughing from a group of people; maybe he kept his word this time.

George laughed as Ringo tried to finish the sentence without being interrupted by his own laughter.  
“Then the man asked if we…if we needed help” it was useless, the two girls with them giggled as Ringo wiped his eyes and tried to catch his breath. After the tense situation that had been the conference the two beatles needed to relieve some tension.   
“You’re so funny” The brunette said, leaning closer to the drummer. George watched her batting her eyes at his friend and felt a hand slide over his arm as the other bird also slipped closer to him. In any other occasion George would have left, but he had been enjoying Ringo’s company and since the whole Brian and Pauline affaire they hadn’t been able to spend some quality time together.   
George hadn’t liked him at first. George liked Pete and he didn’t like changes very much, specially when it was about the band. Ringo was older, too short and really simple, he always agreed and seemed to have a smile glued to his face. George had mistrusted him for months; and then one night they shared a room, and they had started talking. In less than an hour the guitarist felt like an idiot for having rejected him in the first place. The band had become John and Pauline, making George feel slightly left out; Ringo made him feel like he was actually a part of a group, and not the third wheel.  
The girls stayed for a while, but after realizing that George had no intention of going somewhere else, both of them left with a fake smile and a quick excuse.  
“You know you were really great back there” George said, sinking deeper into his chair.  
“Huh?” Ringo said, raising an eyebrow.  
“You really shut that journalist up, it was really nice” And the drummer shrugged  
“Pauline doesn’t deserve all that shit, It was the least I could do, for once at least I managed to do something useful” And maybe Ringo was a bit drunker than usual because George’s eyes shot up at that last sentence.  
“What?” Ringo winced, he didn’t like showing those thoughts, he tried really hard to keep his insecurities to himself.  
“It’s nothing Geo, I was just…” But the youngest had stopped listening and looked directly at him in the eyes with determination.  
“Ringo you’re the best drummer I’ve ever seen, you’re kind and we wouldn’t have come this far if it hadn’t been for you, so don’t you dare to say that you’re less than all that” And as George finished there was a silent pause in which none of them knew what to say.   
George kept looking at his bandmate who was frozen in pure shock. He wasn’t used to George talking at him like that, usually they all brushed everything off with light jokes and silly comments, but George’s cheeks were warm and pink and he couldn’t think of anything but to make sure Ringo knew they all loved him.   
The guitarist suddenly realized that he had lost himself in those big blue eyes, unable to tear away his own. He suddenly began to feel warmer, his breath fastening as Ringo managed to open his mouth.  
“Wow, thank you George, but you know, I’m just the drummer, you guys are the ones who do most of the job, I’m just happy to be here.” And George just wanted him to shut up, he wanted to tell him how amazing he was.  
“We’re lucky to have you, you’re the one who keeps us sane, I would have already kill them if it wasn’t for you” And that made Ringo laugh.  
George could have keep on talking just to see him smile. He himself was smiling too, he couldn’t help it, Ringo’s happiness was contagious. But suddenly George’s heart began to beat faster and he started to realize that he had been staring for a while; Ringo tilted his head and George found himself almost memorizing his features, his heart hammering on his chest.   
“George you’re really the best bandmate I could ask for” But the guitarist had stopped listening, lost in his own mind and on the verge of a stroke.   
He had never felt that way before, or perhaps he had but not as intensely as this time. The thoughts he was having terrified him completely, he had to get out of that room or he would end up suffocating.  
“George, are you okay?” Ringo had noticed and got closer to him, which made the younger man jump.  
“I need to go to the loo, sorry” And before he could answer, George had disappeared.  
THREE HOURS LATER  
A knock on her room startled Paulie. She rubbed her eyes and checked her alarm clock, it was three in the morning. Managing to drag herself out of the bed she opened the door, ready to face a probably drunk John, it wasn’t the first time he asked her for something completely wasted. But the person on the other side was taller and skinnier than him.  
“George?” Pauline asked as her friend stumbled, drunker than she had ever seen him.  
“Ya know I fancy birds” He slurred, making her even more confused.  
“What?” Pauline asked.  
“’m no fag” He said, and suddenly he lunged forward and pressed his lips against her half opened mouth. Pauline pushed him back with all her strength and stared at him wide eyed.   
George stumbled back and stared at the floor, he pressed his right hand over his forehead and tensed his body.  
“Fuck” Was all he managed to say before emptying his stomach in front of a very confused Pauline. It was going to be a night even weirder than she had imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh oh! Poor George is having a hard time dealing with his new found feelings. And though I know Cyn met John differently I wanted to make her appear sooner in the story since she also plays an important part of it. I really hope you liked it. Don't forget to comment or leave kudos! Thank you once again so much for the support. See you soon!


	7. Truths and interruptions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long guys! Thank you all for the comments!

Brian thought that he had already gotten used to the band’s dynamic; but somehow thay still managed to surprise him every time.  
Pauline had called him in the middle of the night, she was with George who was apparently drunk as hell and on the verge of a panic attack. And so when she opened the door, smiling nervously and pointing at the bathroom where someone was throwing up and hyperventilating.  
“What in heaven’s happened?” He asked as he walked to where the sounds were coming.  
“I don’t know, he came here barely standing, he kissed me and then he threw up” Pauline bit her lower lip as she followed Brian.   
The youngest beatle was holding onto the toilet, his knuckles as white as his face, trying to manage his breathing and completely unable to stop his world from spinning. Brian knelt down next to him and began rubbing circles on his back. Pauline hated seeing her friend like that and wished she could do something to make him feel better.  
“George?” Brian broke the silence, making the guitarist snap his eyes at him, his brain took a few seconds to realize who was beside him, but as he did, he unceremoniously scrambled back to his two feet; only to fall to the floor once again, smashing his rear against the cold floor.  
“George, it’s fine, Pauline said you had a bad night and I’m just here to help.” Brian’s voice was calmed and managed to make George’s breathing a little slower.  
“Jesus George, I think you need to lay down” Pauline crouched next to George and slid one of his arms over her shoulders, the manager did the same with the other.  
They carried him back to the room and laid him down on the bed after taking his shoes off. The young man grunted and kept mumbling incoherent words and apologizing.  
“Geo, why did you do this?” The girl bit her lower lip as he slid her fingers through his hair, she had never seen him like that, and she hoped to never see him again.  
“I can’t stay” George managed to say. Pauline and Brian looked at each other and shared a concerned and confused look.  
“what do you mean, you can’t stay?” The manager furrowed his brows, Pauline had sat down on the bed and instinctively reached George’s hair, sliding her fingers through his locks.  
“Can’t stay in the band” Two pair of eyes widened as the words left the drunken boy’s lips.  
“What the hell are you talking about? Why would you leave?” And her voice was filled with fear. John and herself had threatened to leave the band some times, mostly as a threat to each other, but the other two members, especially the guitarist had never even implied that he wanted to leave, so whatever had happened to him, must have been really awful for him to say that.  
“I can’t, I’m sorry” He mumbled again, burying his face on the soft pillow.  
“George Jesus stop apologizing and try to tell us what happened, I’m sure it’s not even that bad” Pauline tried to keep her voice from showing just how panicked she was.   
“It’s worse” George replied.  
“Then tell me so we can try to fix it” Brian suddenly realized that perhaps he needed to get out, so he touched the girl’s arm to catch her attention.  
“I’ll leave you two alone, I will wait outside in case you need anything.” And after a nod from Pauline, he left the room.  
Focusing back on her friend, she stared at him biting down the urge to yell at him why was he being so incoherent and simply took a deep breath.  
“George please, I’m your best friend, you can tell me anything, please let , me help you” And suddenly George turned his eyes to her  
“Like you did with Brian?” He asked and that hurt. Her entire body tensed at the accusatory tone of his voice. The words left her mouth as she stayed unable to do anything but feeling horrible; George had never been one to hold things against people, definitely not to her.   
“I’m sorry” Suddenly he had realized the impact of his words, the last thing he wanted was giving her a reason to hate him too.  
“I could never hate you, nobody does, why would anybody do that?” He realized he had thought too loudly.  
“Not yet” He shivered as he imagined Ringo angry at him, or even worse, pitying him and trying to hide the disgust on those blue eyes. George began to feel something wet running down his cheeks and cursed the alcohol for his lack of self-control. A pair of arms wrapped around his body   
“Nobody is going to hate you and if they do I’ll be there to tell them to sod off” A smile barely appeared on his teary face for a second.  
“Ringo doesn’t deserve that” And George realized his mistake the second the words left his mouth. Pauline just frowned even more confused than before, the whole situation was so surreal.  
“Why would Ringo hate you?” She asked him as he bit his lip wishing to disappear.  
“I can’t tell you” He said, eyes shining with unshed tears.  
“Geo please I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong” And she tried to keep her tone soft, noticing the fear back in his eyes, she had never seen George so distressed.  
The young man´s head tried to resurface from the blur of the alcohol and stared at his best friend for a minute. She wouldn’t be able to help him, but perhaps saying it out loud would help; he was wrong.  
“What?” She had barely heard him mumbling the words, praying that she had heard wrong.  
“I’m in love with Ringo” George muttered slightly louder. And then the room was left silent, neither of them knowing what to say.   
George wanted to run away and hide in his room to never come out again, but his entire body refused to move from the bed, so he just stared at Paulie. His vision began to blur and he suddenly felt something wet running down his cheek.   
“George it’s fine, we can… I mean you…” Pauline tried to find the right words to say, but she seemed to be having a hard time with forming a sentence.  
George was silently crying, trying to wipe the tears off his face and feeling his chest struggling to breathe. This was it, he would never be able to speak to Ringo again, not looking at those eyes, not without thinking about things that were forbidden; he could actually go to jail, and then his life would be over for good, his mom would cry and…  
“George! Jesus breathe! You’re scaring me! It’s okay, everything’s going to be just fine, I promise” She practically begged. He took a breath and suddenly a warm hand landed on his cheek and a pair of calming brown eyes stared at him.  
“George I need to tell you something too…” Pauline said, perhaps if she told him the truth he would see that he wasn’t alone, maybe Brian would be able to help him. But her trail of thought was broken by a soft knock on the door.  
“Pauline? It’s Ringo, he said he was worried about George, can he come in?” And now George really wished that the earth swallowed him whole, because there was no way he was getting away with not talking to the drummer.


	8. Interruptions and awakenings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot once more for the comments, Hope you enjoy this chapter!

John woke up to a terrible hangover and a strange bed. He cursed as the sunlight hit him straight in the face. The walls were blue and the window was huge, with cute curtains and half opened which explained why he felt so cold.  
“Good morning” A voice coming from behind him startled the man and made him jump out of the foreign bed.  
“Sorry” Standing on the doorway there was a small woman wearing a quite simple dress, blonde hair falling to both her sides. John began to remember her as small fragments from the night before started to rush into his sloppy brain.  
“Cynthia, right?” He prayed to have guessed correctly since he was aware of how mad birds got when someone got their name wrong. She smiled and nodded ¡, making him slightly more relaxed. Another weigh lifted off his shoulders as he realized he was still dressed.  
“You really looked terrible last night, I asked my friend Tom to help me bring you here since I actually don’t know where you live” She explained as she handed him his jacket and shoes.  
“I hope you don’t mind, I just couldn’t leave you like that” And John almost wished he couldn’t remember slurring incoherent sentences next to that girl, he wished he hadn’t drunk so much.  
“Thank you Cynthia, really” And anyone could see just how sincere his voice sounded.  
“Cyn” She suddenly corrected him, her eyes shifting from him to the floor, still shy after everything she had seen, John should be the one to be embarrassed (which he was) but he tried to keep his cool, at least until she spoke again.  
“After everything you said last night I think you should call me that” John felt a shiver run down his spine, what exactly did he do last night? She noticed the panic on his face and threw him a reassuring smile.  
“What exactly did I say?” He asked fearfully  
“It’s okay John, seriously, why don’t we talk over breakfast? I just put the kettle to boil” and John could only nod and follow her to the small kitchen, head and heart pounding inside him.

George hid his face in the pillow as the door opened. Pauline stared at Ringo slowly getting into the room, face filled with concern.  
“Hi” Paulie motioned at Ringo to get closer and close the door. She felt slightly bad for George, but she was aware of how much they cared for each other, after all, ever since the drummer joined them she had realized just how much they enjoyed spending time together, how George’s shyness seemed to vanish when the drummer was around or Ringo’s doubts disappearing after the guitarist encouraged him. They were just like John and her… well, at least until the whole Brian affair. She missed John terribly and she was realizing it in that exact moment, they had barely any alone time, they hadn’t even played, just the two of them, for days. Pauline missed his snarky comments, his laugh and even his voice.  
“What happened?” Ringo’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.  
“He’s just having a rough night Rings, drank a bit too much” Paulie knew that George would never forgive her if she told Ringo the truth, besides, she was getting better at lying to them.  
“I was really worried, we were fine and all of a sudden he just got up and left, I thought he was coming back but… “ Ringo stared worryingly at the unmoving body lying on the bed.  
“Sorry” And the words were barely audible muffled against the soft pillowcase. Ringo walked closer and sat on the bed, next to his two bandmates.  
“George, what happened luv? You really left me worried” His voice was as soft as he could manage, tentatively reaching a hand to stroke a strand of his hair. George jumped at the contact rising his head, suddenly meeting with a pair of blue eyes which widened at the sight.  
“Jesus George” Was the only thing Ringo managed to say. The guitarist’s eyes were red and held an expression that Ringo wished he could just wipe out and change it for his usual smile.   
Whatever had happened to him, it was way worse than he had imagined, and he had no intention of leaving the room without fixing it.  
“Sorry” And it seemed to be the only thing that came out of George’s mouth.  
“You don’t have to apologize, is just… how much have you drunk?” And the drummer turned to Pauline who shook her head; George managed to shrug his shoulders, feeling like a small kid being gently scolded by his parents.   
“Why?” Ringo asked, and Pauline could see the anxiety coming back to George, eyes widening and hands gripping the sheets tightly. Her heart broke by seeing her friend like that, she couldn’t even imagine how he was feeling, Ringo was loveable, but both of them were men, if only George had been a bird, why did everything had to be so goddamn complicated?  
“Ringo, George isn’t feeling too well, why don’t we let him rest and we can talk tomorrow?” And even though Ringo wanted to keep on talking with all his heart, one glance at his friend was enough to convince him and simply nod. He followed Pauline outside, but before reaching the door he turned back and walked back to the drunk man. He leaned closer and wrapped his arms around a very confused George.  
“Whatever this is I can promise you that we will fix it” And with a smile he left the room. George stared at the emptiness for a second and then he let his body fall to the mattress welcoming the darkness as he closed his eyes.  
Brian waited for them outside as they left the room in silence, closing the door behind them. Pauline sighed and the oldest man stared at her worryingly.  
“How is he?” He asked them, Pauline opened her mouth, but Ringo was quicker.  
“He looked horrible Brian” The usually cheerful tone his voice had had been replace by pure concern and worry.  
“What did he told you Pauline? He must have said something” And Ringo’s eyes locked onto hers waiting for a reply.   
“He didn’t say anything, I think he just drank too much” And she prayed that they believed her because she didn’t want to work on another elaborate lie, she was way too tired.  
“No, there was something about the way he left, he looked… gone, as if he was” But suddenly a hand dropped on his arm and the manager stared at him.  
“Ringo, we’re all really tired, I think it would be much better to discuss things in the morning, don’t you think?” Ringo blinked twice, realizing suddenly that he was indeed, very tired.   
“You’re right, I’m just worried” He confessed.  
“He’ll be fine, go to bed Ringo, we’ll talk to him tomorrow” Pauline tried to smile as Ringo waved and left the room.  
“Night” He said, walking away through the corridor.  
Once they were left alone Pauline could feel the tension bottled up in all her body begin to take a toll on her, Brian turned to her to ask what had happened but stopped on his tracks, because her body had begun to shake as newly formed tear began to roll over her cheeks.  
Brian wrapped his arms around her as she silently cried on his shoulder, it took a few minutes of him stroking her hair for her breathing to even out again.  
“It’ll be fine Pauline, I promise” He walked her to his room and helped her lay on his bed.   
As he covered her with a blanket, he couldn’t help but to kiss the top of her head.  
“Night Pauline” He said as he began to turn around, but a hand stopped him.  
“Stay, please” She muttered. Brian kicked off his shoes and laid down next to her. A small smile appeared on her lips as she laid her head on his chest, and drifting off to sleep, she opened her mouth once more.  
“G’night John”


End file.
